Multipulse operation and limits of the Kerr-lens mode-locking stability

Author

Kalashnikov, Vladimir L. ; Sorokin, Evgeni ; Sorokina, Irina T.

Author_Institution

Photonics Inst., Tech. Univ. of Vienna, Austria

Volume

39

Issue

2

fYear

2003

fDate

2/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

323

Lastpage

336

Abstract

Numerical analysis in combination with experimental data for Cr²⁺:ZnSe and Ti:sapphire lasers reveal the following main mechanisms of multiple-pulse generation for Kerr-lens mode-locked solid-state lasers: 1) continuum amplification due to a spectral loss growth for ultrashort or chirped pulses and 2) a bounded perturbation rise for high-energy pulses. The role of such laser parameters as gain saturation and relaxation, saturable and unsaturable loss, self-phase modulation, Kerr-lensing, and pump intensity is analyzed. This analysis provides basic directions for single-pulse stability enhancement and for multiple-pulse generation control.

Keywords

chirp modulation; chromium; laser mode locking; laser stability; numerical analysis; optical Kerr effect; optical losses; optical pulse generation; optical saturation; self-phase modulation; solid lasers; titanium; Al₂O₃:Ti; Cr²⁺:ZnSe lasers; Kerr-lens mode-locked solid-state lasers; Kerr-lens mode-locking stability; Ti:sapphire lasers; ZnSe:Cr; bounded perturbation rise; chirped pulses; continuum amplification; gain saturation; group-delay dispersion; multiple-pulse generation; multiple-pulse generation control; multipulse operation; numerical analysis; pump intensity; saturable loss; self-phase modulation; single-pulse stability enhancement; spectral loss growth; ultrashort-pulse stability; unsaturable loss; Chirp; Chromium; Laser mode locking; Numerical analysis; Numerical stability; Optical pulse generation; Pulse amplifiers; Pump lasers; Solid lasers; Zinc compounds;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JQE.2002.807204

Filename

1172851